This is the licensing paradigm used within the
family of Java technologies, including the Java Mobile and
Embedded reference implementation and the Phone ME JVM. We chose
the same licensing method to allow easy collaboration with these
existing communities.

What is Licensed and How?

The overall reference implementation to the
OpenCable Application Platform specification (OCAP RI) is
licensed under a free/open source software license, the Gnu Public License
v. 2 (GPLv2). GPL2 is the most common open source license and is
the license used by the PhoneME Community, including the underlying PhoneME JVM.
Other source code is also included in the package. See
licenses and notices for more information.

MPEG-2 MPEG-4 Implementations

Only an MPEG-2 software decoder implementation is included in the
OCAP Reference Implementation. Currently there is no
support for MPEG-4 video decode. CableLabs has implemented,
licensed, and paid for the required MPEG licenses for a
single PC platform. Any additional copies, as well as the
distribution of commercial products based on this OCAP
Reference Implementation require a separate license. Please
contact MPEG Licensing Authority at MPEGLA.com.

Why is CableLabs distributing the OCAP RI under an open source license?

Providing the OCAP RI project as an open source project helps CableLabs reach the following goals:

Provide
existing and new stack and application developers access
to the source code and application development
environment at no cost

Establish
an environment where diverse companies and developers can
access, develop and leverage a common source code
base.

Attract
new developers from the open source community to explore
the cable platform and its potential.

This platform provides cable
operators, OCAP stack developers, application developers, and
content providers exciting interactive tools to create interactive
services for cable customers. By providing the platform as open
source, innovators have free access to the source code to learn
about how best to innovate in this environment.

How can I use the source code?

The terms of the GPLv2 license grants you the right
to download, review, and make changes to the source code. If you
wish to redistribute your changes, you are bound by the
additional conditions of the GPL license. This includes a
requirement to provide access to the modified source code.
Please make sure to confer with your legal counsel to make sure
you comply with this and other conditions the GPL license
requires.

How does open source benefit the cable operators?

Providing the OCAP RI project as an open source
project allows cable operators to share common bug fixes and
enhancements for the platform, and lets them focus more on
services that they develop as applications on top of the
OpenCable platform.

How does open source benefit OCAP stack developers?

Providing the OCAP RI to stack
developers allows them to access source code to see a working example
of how the OpenCable OCAP specification is interpreted and can be
implemented. This will create a consistent stable platform. The
OCAP RI is also tested against the CableLabs suite of tests used
for product certification purposes.

How does open source benefit application writers?

The PC-based OCAP RI platform and tru2way SDK provide application developers with tools to develop
applications without the need for connecting to a live cable plant. Providing source code
to the platform provides insight to developers to debug their applications, and to find
and debug bugs in the underlying platform. This will lead to a stable platform and
better applications.

Is there an option to use this code under an alternate license?

Yes. CableLabs offers a
commercial license to the code owned or controlled by
CableLabs at no cost. Contactoc-mail@cablelabs.com
regarding inquiries about the commercial license. A separate commercial license to the
underlying PhoneME JVM will also need to be arranged with Sun or its licensees.

How do I know what license to use?

Source code licensing is a complex issue. If you are
unfamiliar with open source projects or licenses in the past,
you should discuss your options with your company’s legal
counsel.

Is the Reference Implementation required for CableLabs Certification?

No. The Reference Implementation is one instance of OCAP that complies with the OCAP TCK; other instances that
comply with the TCK may also exist and be Certified on a
OpenCable Host Device. In all cases, an OpenCable Host Device
must pass all of the applicable tests and otherwise comply with
the applicable OpenCable specifications. See
http://www.opencable.com/ and http://www.cablelabs.com/certqual/
for more information.

What licenses do I need for a commercial device that supports OCAP?

OCAP is the middleware
component of an OpenCable Host Device (or, commercially known
as a “tru2way” device). OpenCable Host Devices require
certain patented technology, and digital certificates for
security purposes. The
tru2way Host Device License Agreement
provides the manufacturer a license to the required
patented technology, as well a license to implement the OCAP
Specification, certain OCAP Code (stubs, javadocs, etc), the
OCAP TCK and the OCAP ATE (Automated Test Environment).
The Digital Certificate Authorization Agreement(DCAA)
provides the manufacturer
the required digital certificates to authenticate the device
to the cable plant/CableCARD: an OpenCable host device
certificate, a DSG cable modem device certificate, and a code
verification certificate for the embedded code.
Additional third party intellectual
property and licenses may also be required
(e.g., MPEG-2, MPEG-4, Dolby, Macrovision,
OCAP patent Pool, etc.);
please review the specifications and consult your legal
counsel.

JVM and JavaTV

Where can I find the source code for the JVM used by the OCAP-RI?

The SVN repository on the OCAP-RI project on
java.net contains GPL source code for the basic phoneME Advance
MR2 JVM plus changes to add the necessary enhancements to support
the OCAP RI. You may use the source code in the OCAP-RI
repository under CableLabs GPL terms.

Periodically we update the phoneME
Advance MR2 JVM in the OCAP-RI SVN repository, based on the
latest source code from the phoneME project. Be aware that at
any given time there may be some differences between the two
source code repositories, in addition to our OCAP RI changes. Due
to the nature of those changes, it is not currently possible to
automate the update process.

How do I license the JVM used by the OCAP-RI?

The JVM source code in the OCAP-RI SVN repository
is available under CableLabs GPL terms as defined in the source
code headers. For commercial use of the JVM, a commercial
license must be obtained from Sun (or its licensees).

Distribution of the JVM for commercial use must be
compliant with the applicable TCKs. No intellectual property
rights are granted hereunder by Sun or CableLabs for distribution
for commercial use of non-compliant JVM implementations.

Where can I find the source code for javaTV used by the OCAP-RI?

The SVN repository on the OCAP-RI project on
java.net contains the javaTV source code written by the CableLabs
engineers. You may use the javaTV source code in the OCAP-RI
repository under CableLabs GPL terms.

How do I license the javaTV source code used by the OCAP-RI?

The javaTV source code in the
OCAP-RI SVN repository is available under CableLabs GPL terms as
defined in the source code headers. A commercial license is also
available for JavaTV from CableLabs under
the OCAP RI Commercial license agreement.
Contact
oc-mail@cablelabs.com
regarding inquiries about the commercial license.
Distribution of the JavaTV for commercial use
must be compliant with the applicable TCKs. No intellectual
property rights are granted hereunder by Sun or CableLabs for
distribution for commercial use of non-compliant JavaTV
implementations.